The present invention relates to a word processor, personal computer or similar data processing apparatus and, more particularly, to a portable data processing apparatus.
Today, a data processing apparatus including a keyboard fully separable from its body is extensively used and disclosed in, e.g., Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 60-53360. The apparatus taught in this document is made up of an apparatus body and a keyboard fully separate from each other and capable of performing cordless communication. While cordless communication is generally implemented by a radio wave, infrared beam, acoustic wave or similar signal, the above apparatus uses an infrared beam. However, this conventional apparatus gives no consideration to portability although having the keyboard fully separate from the apparatus body promotes easy operation.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 5-313786 discloses a data processing apparatus including an apparatus body, a display/input device, a floppy disk drive or similar auxiliary storage, a keyboard separable from the apparatus body, and a support. The apparatus body includes a power source device, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), and various control sections for executing various kinds of processing under the control of the CPU. The display/input device has an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) and a pressure-sensitive touch screen mounted on the LCD that allows data to be input by use of a pen. The operator of the apparatus is capable of inputting data on the keyboard or inputting data on the display/input device with a pen, as desired. This apparatus is desirable in portability because it is operable without the keyboard. However, the user should input data with a pen at all times while carrying the apparatus. This degrades manipulability in the event of, e.g., editing, compared to the operation with the keyboard.
Further, when the above conventional data processing apparatuses each is used as a portable data terminal, it is used in combination with a desk-top personal computer due to a processing ability available therewith. In addition, the data terminal and apparatus body each should be provided with the respective schedule data file and therefore cannot share the same schedule data file with a desk-top personal computer.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a data processing apparatus that is easy to carry and is capable of sharing, e.g., schedule data with a desk-top personal computer.
A data processing apparatus of the present invention includes an apparatus body, and a portable terminal connectable to the apparatus body as a keyboard. The portable terminal is separable from the apparatus body and is operable as a data terminal alone. The portable terminal functions as a keyboard and a storage when mounted to the apparatus body.